DEAR EDITOR:

Listening to Republicans over the last several years, I’ve learned one overarching truth: To be a Republican, you must completely lack the hypocrisy gene.

Members of the so-called “law and order” party now are screaming bloody murder over the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida residence — calling it a “raid” (it was not) and characterizing it with their usual all-purpose term, “witch hunt” (which it wasn’t).

In fact, it was an action predicated on a lawfully obtained search warrant, carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (a document Republicans might profitably spend some time studying).

Furthermore, it was approved by a Trump-appointed federal judge and sanctioned by the Trump-appointed director of the FBI. Every single step of the procedure was conducted strictly by the book — you know, that book of laws Republicans claim to care so much about.

In response, Donald Trump stated “Nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before.” He is correct. What he neglects to go on to say is that no previous U.S. president has come within a million miles of his countless attempts to flout the norms of our democracy — our laws — for his own personal benefit. Of course, in Trump / Republican world, nothing that happens to him is ever the result of his actions.

In 2016, Republicans and their media allies lost their minds over “Hillary Clinton’s emails.” The worst possible interpretation of that affair didn’t pose one-tenth of the danger to the republic that Donald Trump has — time and time again. Back then, while repeatedly shouting “Lock her up,” those folks piously intoned that “no one is above the law.”

Oops! There’s that pesky missing hypocrisy gene again!

MICHAEL R. GREENFIELD

Youngstow